Corpse Party: Osomatsu-san
by IchimatsuTrash
Summary: The Matsuno brothers perform a charm that's supposed to keep them together forever, but after the charm lands them in a haunted elementary school, they may never be together again. NOTE: You do not have to have played/watched Corpse Party to understand this story.
1. Chapter 1

It was Osomatsu who suggested they use the charm. Of course, at the time, nobody thought anything of it; the paper doll couldn't possibly do anything worse than give someone a papercut. Right? They had all agreed to it (after much teasing and other banter) under the impression that nothing would happen. It was purely symbolic, something that was supposed to bind them together forever, regardless of the distance between them. After all, everyone knew that Osomatsu couldn't stand the thought of being separated from his brothers even though he'd sooner cut off his own hand than admit it aloud. So, they would play along if only to ease their older brother's mind. That was the true purpose of this charm. Right? Well if you know anything about the infamous Matsuno sextuplets, you would know that more often than not, they were wrong.

The six brothers tore the cut-out doll into six pieces as lighting raced across the inky sky outside the window. Silence filled the usually loud room save for the incessant pounding of rain on the roof. And when the floor opened beneath them and a darkness blacker than the night swallowed them whole, their terrified screams lost in the wind as they desperately tried to cling to one another, the same thoughts went through their heads.

This wasn't happening.

This couldn't be real.

This was only a nightmare which they would wake from in a moment and be able to huddle closer to whichever brother was beside them for comfort.

Right?

Choromatsu struggled to open his eyes, now keenly aware that he was lying on an uneven wooden floor with loose nails that dug into his back. It took a minute of concentration for him to recall what events had led up to this point after which he sat bolt upright and was hit with a wave of nausea because of the sudden movement. Knees drawn to his chest, Choromatsu breathed heavily as he attempted to process what exactly had happened before realizing that there was a much more pressing matter at hand.

Where was he?

Eventually, the sick feeling faded away, and Choromatsu began to examine his surroundings from where he sat on the floor which proved to be quite difficult due to the lack of light. He determined that he was in a classroom, elementary school most likely, but one that had been abandoned and had fallen into disrepair decades ago. Small chairs and desks lie scattered around the room, some overturned, others broken into pieces. The floorboards also appeared to vanish in some places, giving way to a seemingly bottomless pit. Choromatsu told himself that it was just too dark to see that far down but still couldn't shake the irrational fear that something would reach out and drag him into the abyss. Quickly shifting his attention elsewhere, he spotted a motionless figure wearing a familiar red hoodie on the other side of the room.

"Oso-AGH!" Choromatsu yelled out in pain as his right leg gave out from under him and he fell back to the ground. He held his throbbing ankle but was too concerned about his unconscious brother to really care. Slowly getting on his feet once again, Choromatsu limped over to Osomatsu where he dropped to his knees. "Osomatsu nii-san?" Choromatsu gently tugged on his brother's sleeve. "Come on, you have to wake up." No response. Choromatsu tried to remain calm, recalling the time Jyushimatsu decided to wake them up one morning by banging pots and pans together. Osomatsu hadn't even stirred then, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to believe that Choromatsu's small nudges wouldn't wake him either. Unfortunately, it was now that the fluorescent bulbs overhead flickered to life and revealed the true cause of the problem which came in the form of a puddle of blood seeping from the back of Osomatsu's head. "He must've hit one of the nails sticking out of the floor," Choromatsu thought numbly.

Panic began to settle in as Choromatsu realized that his brother was in dire need of medical attention but had no way of receiving it. His brain was racing a mile a minute, weighing the limited number of options he had left. Call for help? No, neither of them had a cell phone. If only Todomatsu was here… (did he get stuck here too?). Look for bandages? Wouldn't work either, Osomatsu would probably bleed out before he got back. Find an exit? And then what? A glance out the window showed Choromatsu that they were in the middle of a never-ending forest that he didn't recognize in the slightest. Wait for help then? But did anybody even know they were gone? Choromatsu let out a shaky breath. Only one option left then.

After removing his favorite green hoodie, Choromatsu pulled off his shirt which he proceeded to tear a strip of fabric from. He shivered at the feeling of cool air on his bare skin as he tightly bound Osomatsu's wound. It was far from the best (he'd actually only seen this done in anime before), but it was better than nothing. At least the bleeding would be slowed significantly and maybe give them enough time to get help. That is, if Osomatsu decided to wake up sometime soon. Meanwhile, all Choromatsu could do was wait. Truth be told, he was terrified of going out there by himself and would much rather stay here with his unresponsive brother than brave the unknown. So yeah, Choromatsu would wait. And wait. And wait.

After what Choromatsu deemed "way too long", Osomatsu finally groaned and propped himself up on shaky elbows. Choromatsu, tense with anxiety because of their current dilemma, couldn't resist the urge to throw himself onto his older brother out of relief. He wrapped his arms around Osomatsu who was carelessly knocked backwards, clutching his red hoodie like a lifeline.

"You idiot, I thought you were dead!" Choromatsu said, choking back a sob that threatened to escape.

Osomatsu looked as though he was still trying to regain focus. "Choro, what the…? Where are…we…?" he asked with a yawn as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "And why're you shirtless?"

Pulling back into a sitting position, Choromatsu blinked in confusion before remembering that he'd forgotten to put his hoodie back on. As he slipped his arms inside, grateful for the warmth it provided, Choromatsu asked, "how's your head?".

"My head?" Osomatsu lightly touched the fabric covering his injury and winced. Ah ha, so that was where Choromatsu's shirt had gone. "Now that you mention it," he continued, "I do have one helluva headache."

"Yeah. That's what happens when you lose that much blood. Idiot…" The cracks in the floorboards became very interesting to Choromatsu who lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. "You really scared me though. I thought you wouldn't wake up. That you'd just leave me here. Alone."

"You worry too much, Choromatsu. You gotta learn how to loosen up, seriously." Osomatsu smiled at his little brother.

Choromatsu rolled his eyes. "Excuse me for being concerned about your potential death."

Extending a pinkie finger, Osomatsu reached for Choromatsu's right hand.

"What are you doing?" Choromatsu asked flatly.

"It's a pinkie promise, stupid. I'm attempting to make you feel better by promising not to leave you forever."

Choromatsu looked skeptical.

"Hurry up," Osomatsu said impatiently, "this is a one-time deal. Take it or leave it. Your choice."

With an exasperated sigh, Choromatsu linked pinkies with his brother and gave a firm shake. "Because you have such a reputation for keeping promises," he muttered.

"Hey, I always keep my promises!" Osomatsu countered.

"I distinctly recall just last week when you promised that if I gave you money for pachinko, you would- "

"Yeah, but like, that's not important," Osomatsu said quickly. "Anyways, where did you say we were again?"

Having regained his composure, or as composed as one could be in such a frightening situation, Choromatsu scanned the classroom once more in order to confirm his suspicions. "An elementary school, I think. But I don't recognize it at all." He stood and walked over to further inspect one of the grimy windows, his injured foot causing him to flinch with every step.

"Are you hurt?" Osomatsu asked with genuine concern. As the eldest son, it was, after all, his responsibility to make sure his family was okay (no matter how much he pretended to despise them).

Choromatsu was peering through the filthy glass. "You're the one covered in blood, and you're going to worry about me?"

"I'm always worried about my little Chorofappyski," Osomatsu said mockingly.

"Shut the hell up," Choromatsu growled.

"I'm just teasing," Osomatsu said with a laugh.

Choromatsu turned and took one step towards his brother before hissing at his ankle. "Shit that hurts!"

"Hmm…maybe you can rest here," Osomatsu suggested, "and I'll go explore."

Now Choromatsu was many things, but a moron wasn't one of them. If there was one thing he'd learned from watching horror movies, it was that you don't split up if you don't want to get yourself killed. Ever. "No way. I'm coming with you," he said defiantly. "I'm alright, it doesn't actually hurt all that bad." Choromatsu grimaced at what an awful liar he was and prayed that his brother was too oblivious to notice.

Osomatsu looked like he wanted to argue, but ultimately nodded his head in agreement. "Alright, you can come. But you have to tell me if you need to stop or take a break or whatever. Now, if it really doesn't hurt, that means you can help me up." Choromatsu pulled his brother onto his feet and watched as he swayed precariously. There was no doubt about who was more fit to be walking around, but Choromatsu knew that Osomatsu wouldn't let death itself stop him from ensuring the safety of the others. So, they each put an arm around the other's shoulders and supported one another as they made their way to the sliding doors. Together, they left the classroom and found themselves in an even more eerie corridor that seemed to stretch endlessly on either side. It was so dark that it was nearly impossible to distinguish where the floor dropped off into nothingness. Choromatsu made a mental note to pay special attention to where he was stepping.

"Okay, left, or right?" Osomatsu asked, giving his brother a sideways glance.

Choromatsu studied the deserted hallway as he tried to locate any sign that indicated the best path to take. "I don't know. Right, I guess," he hesitantly decided. And so, still leaning on each other, the pair left the relative safety of the classroom and walked off into the gloom.

They had finally come across a staircase that led to the ground floor when they encountered their first decaying corpse. Judging by the size and uniform, it was a high school girl with maggots falling from her open mouth and empty eye sockets. It looked as though she had been there for quite a while; only a few pieces of rotting flesh and strands of brown hair clung to her skeleton. There was also a copious amount of blood splattered on the surrounding floor and wall which implied that the girl had suffered a violent death.

"Just what the hell went on in this school?" Osomatsu wondered aloud, unable to tear his gaze away from the horrific sight. Choromatsu, on the other hand, immediately looked away and tried not to vomit; he had always had a weak stomach. "No way that's real," Osomatsu assured him. Whether he was comforting himself or his brother, he couldn't say. "It's gotta be a replica…a really, really good replica. Just, don't look at it. Come on."

"I doubt you two will make it much longer."

Osomatsu and Choromatsu froze as a small flame was ignited above the body. Its blue light illuminated the hall and cast long shadows that danced and wavered across the walls. A girl's voice emanated from within the fire. "The one in red will go first. I can already feel him growing weaker. Then, the one in green will drown in his own despair. Will he jump to his death? Will he end it with a blade? A rope?" It was like they could hear the anticipation dripping from her voice. "I can't wait to see how this one plays out!"

Osomatsu stood in shocked silence. First dead people, now they had to deal with ghosts too? Jeez, this day couldn't get much worse, could it? Osomatsu cursed his bad luck until it dawned on him that this spirit might have the answers to his questions. Would she give them to him? Probably not. But it was certainly worth a try. "Hey! What's this school we're in?" he demanded, completely disregarding the ghost's prophecy. "And where are my brothers?" Not the most polite way to speak to someone that you needed help from, but when had Osomatsu ever cared about manners?

The flame grew brighter as the spirit giggled. "Welcome to Heavenly Host Elementary, boys!"

"And my brothers?"

"Well, I have no idea if they're your brothers or not, but I sensed four others arrive here at the same time as you."

"That's them," Osomatsu mumbled. "Okay, last question: how do we get out of here?"

"Get out?" The ghost burst into a fit of high-pitched laughter. "Get out? You idiot, you aren't in your own dimension anymore, there is no getting out!" Her gleeful tone abruptly switched to a much more melancholic and solemn one. "But that doesn't matter anyway, because you'll all be dead soon enough." And with that, the little fire was blown out by a nonexistent breeze.

This was too much for Osomatsu to process. At least now he knew all his brothers were here and he could put all his effort into finding them. But that also meant they were all in danger if what the spirit said was true, and Osomatsu was inclined to believe her. He pictured Todomatsu, who couldn't even walk to the toilet at night without holding someone's hand, inching down a corridor with tears in his eyes. He imagined Jyushimatsu struggling to keep that dumb yet heartwarming smile on his face as he flung open door after door looking for anyone else. He saw Ichimatsu, his hair more disheveled than usual, huddled in a corner, fighting off the thoughts of hopelessness they all knew he dealt with every day. And there was Karamatsu who cared about his family more than anyone in the whole world and was more than likely worried sick about them. Osomatsu was pulled from his thoughts by Choromatsu's sniffling.

"What she said. D-do you think we'll die here?" Choromatsu said hoarsely.

Osomatsu acted as though he hadn't heard. "Come on. Let's keep going."

Not another word was spoken between the two until they entered a classroom to get around a gap in the hallway floor that they didn't want to risk jumping over. The change in brightness was just enough for Choromatsu to clearly see his brother's face. Osomatsu looked like he would drop at any second. The loth wrapped around his head was soaked through with blood, he was sweating profusely, and his vision was shifting in and out of focus. Choromatsu had also noticed that Osomatsu's weight on him had been growing steadily heavier over the past few…minutes? Hours? Time felt warped in this strange place.

This was bad. This was really bad. "Okay," Choromatsu eventually said, "you have to lay down; you look like you're about to pass out!"

"If I stop now, I won't be able to get up again," Osomatsu argued through grit teeth. "We have to keep going."

Choromatsu ducked out from beneath his brother's arm. "No! You're just going to get yourself even more hurt!"

"Oh yeah, because you're doing so much better," Osomatsu said sarcastically. "Look, we have to find everyone else and we know now that splitting up isn't an option. We're wasting time having this pointless argument. Now move." He led the way back out into the corridor with Choromatsu trailing behind.

"You're so stubborn, you know that? It's going to get you killed one day."

"Yeah, probably," Osomatsu answered without turning around to see his brother's reaction. He grinned and swiped a finger under his nose. "Hey, Choro?"

"What?" he responded without emotion.

"I made you a promise earlier, now can you make one for your nii-san?"

"No, you may not borrow my wallet for pachinko when we get home."

"DAMMIT! Wait, no, that wasn't what I was going to say!"

"Then what were you going to say?"

"I was going to say…if, by some very unlikely chance, something was to happen to me, don't…don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Choromatsu stopped in his tracks and stared, dumbfounded, at Osomatsu's back. "Nope. No. No. This isn't you talking!"

"Just answer the question. Please." Noticing that Choromatsu was no longer following him, Osomatsu paused as well but still refused to face his brother.

"Fine. I won't do anything stupid."

"You promise?"

"This is so stupid, Osomatsu! Why do I have to-"

Osomatsu clenched his hands into fists. "Promise me, Choromatsu!"

"Okay, okay, I promise!" he said, giving in. "There, are you happy now?"

"Yes. Thank you." Osomatsu only walked another few feet down the hall before stopping again which caused Choromatsu to bump into him.

"What's wrong?" he asked nervously.

"Is that…?" Osomatsu suddenly took off, sprinting down the corridor with renewed energy. "HA! I think I found the exit!" he shouted back.

"Hold on! Choromatsu called out while running as fast as his injured ankle would let him. He could no longer see Osomatsu who had rounded a corner. "Slow down! You're going to make yourself-"

 _THUMP_

Choromatsu felt his stomach drop. "Osomatsu? Y-you gotta stop cutting me off like that…" Turning where he had last seen his brother, Choromatsu held his breath as he found himself at the main entrance of the school where he cautiously stepped over the threshold. He walked past a row of cubbies, careful not to disturb the small shoes that littered the floor, and came to a stop beside Osomatsu who had fallen to his knees before the large wooden doors. In his trembling hands, he held a blood-stained, purple hoodie.


	2. Chapter 2

Karamatsu stumbled down the pitch-black corridor, skirting around dead bodies and tripping over loose floorboards in his panic. While his brothers had abandoned him countless times before, he knew they weren't so cruel as to ditch him in a place like this. He refused to believe otherwise. Of course, the last thing Karamatsu remembered was performing the charm, and all his brothers had been present when that had occurred, so it was entirely possible that they had simply ended up in different locations. Yeah, that had to be it! But then again, maybe he had been taking too long to wake up, so they had gotten tired of waiting and left. Either way, he wouldn't know anything for sure until he asked them and that required him to actually find them first. Not to mention that having only the deceased for company was making Karamatsu feel as though he were losing his mind. He dreaded the possibility of finding one of his brothers slumped against the wall, lifeless and covered in their own blood. Some of the corpses he had passed were so mangled and torn that there was no way to say for certain that he hadn't already found one of his brother's bodies. With that pleasant thought in mind, Karamatsu threw open the nearest classroom door, pushing aside desks and chairs as he searched for anyone still living.

"HEY! ANYBODY STILL ALIVE IN HERE?" Wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans, Karamatsu ran to the adjacent room, slamming into the doorframe as he practically fell inside. He was in no way prepared for the fist that suddenly punched him square in the jaw and left him sprawled out on the hallway floor.

"Shut up, Shittymatsu. You're too loud."

"Ichimatsu!" Karamatsu tackled his brother to the ground where he buried his face into Ichimatsu's hoodie and hugged him tightly. He had been so scared that his "cool guy" act had been completely forgotten for which Ichimatsu was eternally grateful. His older brother was almost tolerable without the mispronounced English phrases and melodramatic poetry. Almost. Ichimatsu also wasn't positive that he could control the urge to strangle Karamatsu if he whipped out those stupid sunglasses when he could barely see his own hand in front of his face.

With the initial relief of finding another living person ebbing away, Ichimatsu not-so-gently removed himself from his brother. "You can stop hugging me now," he grumbled.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." Karamatsu reluctantly backed off and sat down beside his brother. "I'm just really happy that you're okay." He was visibly straining to hold back tears at this point.

"I swear if you start crying, I will not hesitate to leave you," Ichimatsu said with a look of disgust.

"N-no crying. Got it," Karamatsu stammered, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie. A moment of awkward silence passed between the two.

"I take it that you haven't found anyone else?"

Karamatsu nodded wordlessly.

Placing one hand on the ground and the other on his knee, Ichimatsu pushed himself off the floor. "Guess I'll have to go find them myself, then." Not bothering to see if Karamatsu was following, he shoved both hands into his pockets and made to leave.

Well, that was certainly unexpected. Karamatsu knew that Ichimatsu secretly cared about his brothers, but never did he think that he'd make it so blatantly obvious. It would have been much more like Ichimatsu to have gone looking for the others with the excuse that he was searching for the exit and would leave with or without them. It's interesting how the feeling of fear brings out people's true emotions that way.

Eager to reunite with his family, but hesitant to see any more of the horror and gore that lay just outside, Karamatsu remained frozen in place. "W-wait, Ichimatsu. You've seen…what's out there, right?"

"You mean the skeletons? Yeah, I saw 'em."

Karamatsu flinched at Ichimatsu's casual tone. They were talking about dead children here, not about what they were having for dinner that night. "And that doesn't bother you?"

Ichimatsu had one foot out the door. "Nope." And then he was gone.

Karamatsu, after coming to the conclusion that he would much rather be out there with his brother than in here by himself, scrambled to his feet and chased after Ichimatsu. They walked down the hall side by side, the heavy atmosphere pressing in on all sides. The corpses in various states of decomposition, unidentified stains and various body parts that lay throughout the corridor did nothing to ease the tension. In fact, the quiet had grown to be too much for Karamatsu who opened his mouth to say something, anything to shatter the unbearable silence. However, Ichimatsu beat him to it.

"Bathroom."

"What?"

"Bathroom," Ichimatsu repeated, pointing to a sign up ahead. "There's a bathroom right there, and I need to use it. Be right back."

"Okay," Karamatsu said, slowing to a stop. "I'll just…wait here. I guess." He considered following for a moment, but decided against it. Standing out here in the open left him feeling vulnerable for sure, but he didn't want to give Ichimatsu any excuse to ditch him. On second thought, though, what if Ichimatsu got into trouble and needed help? There didn't appear to be any present danger, but there couldn't be these many dead bodies without a reason, so it wasn't totally unreasonable to think of that as a possibility, right? Karamatsu's inner debate was interrupted by a light tap on his shoulder which sent a shiver down his spine. Heart pounding, Karamatsu was paralyzed with fear as he turned and came face to face with a sinister grin and glowing blue eyes.

Ichimatsu was a liar. He had lied when he said that the corpses didn't bother him. He had lied when he walked down the hall calmly and confidently. And he had lied when he said that he needed to use the restroom.

Ichimatsu was a liar. Those corpses left him more scared than he had ever been in his entire life. When he walked down the hall, it took all he had just to take another step forward and not run away to hide. And he was now in the bathroom so he could let out some of these pent-up feelings without his annoying brother around.

He pushed open the door to the first stall and stumbled backward until he hit the wall. Ichimatsu's eyes were wide and his breathing uneven as he stared at the boy hanging above the toilet. His initial thought was why anyone would hang themselves in such a shitty place, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Why wander around aimlessly in constant fear of the inevitable when you can end it yourself on your own terms?

The next two stalls produced similar scenes to the first, much to Ichimatsu's dismay. He approached the third and final stall, fully expecting to be met with another person with a rope around their neck, but found, instead, a vacant noose, patiently waiting to assist whoever chose to slip their head inside. The single "what if" that flit through Ichimatsu's mind opened the floodgates to deeper, darker thoughts. He couldn't deny that the idea had occurred to him before. It was always there, really, like a splinter that didn't hurt until you pressed on it, and once its presence was known, it became harder and harder not to think about. Ichimatsu was well aware that the pain of everyday life was so much a part of him now that the only way to get rid of it was through death itself. The only reason he had never done anything sooner was because of his family, but these days, Ichimatsu's family seemed to do more things for him out of fear than love. In addition to that, he was also an unproductive member of society with no practical skills and no future. The cons far outnumbered the pros, not to mention the perfectly good noose beckoning as though it had been tied especially for him. Ichimatsu could take a hint.

As though he were in a trance, Ichimatsu reached out to touch the coarse rope that would give him the relief he so desperately craved but was roughly grabbed from behind, pulled away, and spun around. Despite what he had thought earlier, he almost wished that Karamatsu had his cheap sunglasses on so he couldn't see the hurt in his eyes.

"Don't you dare," Karamatsu said with a choked sob.

"Let go, Shittymatsu. I wasn't-"

"I let you break my things. I let you threaten me and beat me up. I let you get away with everything, but I can't let you do that."

Ichimatsu was getting irritated. "Stop being dramatic. I was only looking!"

"The same way you look at pill bottles and knives! You think I don't notice, but I do, and it scares the hell out of me!" Karamatsu could feel the hot tears sliding down his cheeks.

"Shut up," Ichimatsu said with clenched fists.

"I know that you hate me, but please just talk to-"

"I SAID SHUT UP."

Karamatsu heard his nose snap as Ichimatsu delivered a punch to his face that sent him tumbling to the ground. Ichimatsu left his brother in a crumpled heap on the floor with one final "fuck you" for good measure and stormed down the corridor, too busy fuming to give any attention to the dead bodies that watched.

What gave him the right? Ichimatsu was downright awful to his brother, and yet, Karamatsu stubbornly insisted on treating him…well, like that. It pissed him off to no end.

Karamatsu, meanwhile, barely had the strength or will to stand.

He put a hand on the wall to steady himself and the other on his nose which was now gushing red. The tears in his eyes left everything one big blur and the sight of his own blood left him dizzy and lightheaded. Ichimatsu had lashed out at him because he had said something stupid. Now they were both alone, and it was all Karamatsu's fault. He just wanted to curl up and sleep until this nightmare was over.

"Karamatsu!"

Great. Now he was starting to hear things.

"Karamatsu nii-san!"

The voice sounded like it was coming from some distant part of the school, too far away for Karamatsu to determine which of his brothers was calling his name. "Might as well go check it out," he thought bitterly. "It isn't often that I'm actually wanted."

Ichimatsu had been wandering the school for long enough to realize that his anger had been misplaced. It was by no means Karamatsu's fault for landing them in this place, although Ichimatsu knew that Karamatsu would most definitely take the blame. He had decided his best course of action was to apologize to his brother. Karamatsu had been trying to help the only way he knew how and probably didn't deserve to have his nose broken. Ichimatsu had just been scared, that was all there was to it.

Fortunately, he found Karamatsu easily enough, standing in front of the main doors.

Perfect! Now Ichimatsu could apologize and then get out. He could go and get help with finding the rest of their brothers, and then they could all go home together and never speak of what had happened here ever again.

If only fate were so kind.

"I'm sorry," Ichimatsu mumbled. Karamatsu had his back turned to his brother and made no indication that he had acknowledged him. Maybe he hadn't heard? "Look, I'm sorry," Ichimatsu reiterated a bit louder. Karamatsu still didn't move, even though Ichimatsu was sure he had spoken loud enough. He just…stood there. It was honestly beginning to creep Ichimatsu out. "Hey, can you hear me?" Ichimatsu walked around his brother in order to see his face. What he saw was definitely creepy.

Karamatsu continued to stare straight ahead with glazed eyes and an unsettling grin. Blood was still streaming from his nose, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Most alarming though was the pair of scissors in Karamatsu's hands, which held the sharpened point of the rusty blades above his own heart.

"What do you think you're doing with those?" Ichimatsu asked nervously. No answer. Not like he was expecting one anyways. Deciding that he should get rid of the scissors before his brother seriously hurt himself, Ichimatsu made a grab for them but was stopped by an invisible force that surrounded Karamatsu and wouldn't allow Ichimatsu to touch him. He had no idea what was going on, and he was sick of it. The fear and confusion were making his head spin. He wasn't even sure when exactly he had started screaming his brother's name and begging him to stop as he raised the scissors as though preparing to stab himself.

"Oh no, looks like he's been possessed."

Ichimatsu glared at the little girl who had appeared beside him. Her long black hair was matted and her crimson dress was tattered and filled with holes. There wasn't an ounce of sympathy in her voice.

"Save him," he growled menacingly.

The girl gave him an innocent look. "What makes you think I can do anything?"

"Can you?"

"Yes."

"Then save him, dammit!"

"But that'll take all the fun out of it," the girl whined with a pout. She gasped. "I know! Let's make a deal!"

Ichimatsu was struggling to resist the urge to drop-kick this kid. Karamatsu was in danger, and she was trying to bargain?

"It's the only way you can save him," she sang.

There was no way this could end well. "Fine. What do you want?"

A sadistic grin split the girl's face in half. "Your life for his."

"Done."

The smile fell from her face. "What? You don't want to think about this a bit more?"

Ichimatsu glanced at his brother whose emotionless gaze was contradicted by the steady flow of tears that dripped from his chin. "Just get it over with before I change my mind."

"Whatever you say."

Karamatsu opened his eyes just in time to see his little brother throw his hoodie to the ground and plunge the pair of scissors into his own chest. He heard a scream tear itself from his throat as he threw himself at Ichimatsu, knowing full well that it was too late. Everything that happened afterward melted together into a mess of terrifying images and feelings that threatened to drown Karamatsu.

He was vaguely aware of rushing to his brother's side and begging Ichimatsu to please, _please_ stay awake as he quickly removed the scissors from the wound. Shit, shit, shit, he shouldn't have done that. Blood was everywhere. On his clothes, on the floor, on his hands. He dashed to the front doors. Hospital, Ichimatsu needed to get to the hospital. He pushed. Locked. No, no, NO. He repeatedly threw his entire body into the doors until his side was aching and covered in bruises. It was no use.

The next thing he knew, Karamatsu was sprinting down a corridor, completely oblivious to his surroundings, focused solely on his little brother who was now slipping in and out of consciousness in his arms. He ran faster than he ever had, heading in the direction of…of…Karamatsu dropped to his knees as the feeling of absolute helplessness washed over him. To have to watch the light leave your brother's eyes and have nowhere to go, nobody to turn to, and no way to help…Karamatsu may as well have been dying right along with him. He couldn't think straight, he couldn't breathe, he could only look at Ichimatsu's face and know that he couldn't do a goddamn thing.

What hurt the most though, was that this really was Karamatsu's fault. He was the reason Ichimatsu had run off. If he hadn't said anything, if he hadn't been so stupid, would things have been different? Would Ichimatsu be safe and unharmed and not bleeding out on a dirty floor?

Karamatsu found it harder and harder to hold himself together as each new realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Ichimatsu would never see their brothers or their parents ever again. He'd never get to go home. And if they ever got home, Karamatsu would have to sleep with an empty space to his right every night as a constant reminder of what he'd lost, of what he'd done. He hunched over his brother as his body was racked with sobs. "I'm sorry," he cried. 'I'm so, so sorry. I did this. I'm sorry."

Ichimatsu used the last of his energy to crack open his eyes and rest a shaky hand on his distraught brother's face. He wiped away a few stray tears, only to replace them with a smear of blood. A small smile graced his lips as he breathed out, "Not your fault…still hate you though, Karamatsu nii-san…" and his arm fell back to his side.

But Ichimatsu was a liar.

And Karamatsu knew that better than anyone.

"I love you, too."

A deafening silence.

"Please don't go."


End file.
